Friday, December 21, 2012

Grand Slam of the World is On

Ultrarunning's Grand Slam of the World is on for 2013! This will be
the inaugural year of a race series of four of the toughest, big
mountain 100 mile ultra's in the world that I will attempt in one
calendar year. The series will begin in April with the Ultra-Trail
Mt. Fuji. Then in July, it will be the Hardrock 100
back in my old stomping grounds in the San Juan mountains of
Colorado. After nearly 7 weeks of letting my quads recover, I'll be
in Chamonix and the Alps for the Ultra-Trail du
Mont-Blanc. To finish things up will be a trip to the South
America for La Misión in the Patagonia region of Argentina in
December.

Combined, the four races will cover four continents, six countries,
400 miles and over 120,000' of climb. I'll be the first to attempt
it.

Now, for the background. The sport of of ultrarunning
recognizes a variety of race series known as “slams” (e.g. the
venerable Grand Slam of Ultrarunning first run in 1986),
which consist of four 100 mile races in the U.S. completed in a
calendar year. However, the sport of ultrarunning has seen
tremendous international growth in recent years and the development
of some spectacular and punishing mountain ultra’s. I seek to
recognize the “slam” as a truly international endeavor and do so
with the sport's most challenging events. The Grand Slam of the
World is also an opportunity to experience different cultures around
the world and share the love of the mountains and endurance running
with others in the sport.

The Grand Slam of the World has been recognized by the sport's
record-keeper on such things at run100s.com
(thanks, Stan).